Fishing socket



G. 1- LE Bus FISHING SQCKET Oct. 28, 1930.

Filed July 30, 1928 INVENTOR 5607' M506 ATTORNEY WITNESSES 6 H lcu flh.W

of Figure 1,

59 pipe sniigbearse it Patented Oct. 28, 1930 OFFICE GEORGE" E. LE BUS,F ELECTRA, TEXAS FISHING SOCKET Application-filed July 30,

,7 This invention relates to improvements in fishing tools, sometimesknown asovershots, and it consists of the constructions, combinationsand arrangements herein described and claimed. 7 I 7 "Que of the objectsof the invention is to improve the overshot disclosed in United StatesPatent No. 1,493,350 granted to George F. Le Bus on May 6, 1924, by incorporating a packer in themechanism so that a circulation maybeestablished through the pipe being fished after in case the pipeshould be stuck in cavings or'a tight hole.

Another object of the invention is to combine keys with the packerattachment and certain slips so that the pressure of a spring,associated with the packer attachment, may be exertedsagainst the slipsand keepthe-latter in the proper gripping position. I

2T0 l i 'further object of theinvention resides in the formation of theteeth'or wicker's of the slips, these being made relatively fine andinclinedat adecided pitch so that more positiveand faster operation maybe had in releasing the tool. I v I p p A still further object of theinvention is tou'sei. squarefthread's between the relatively thinwallsof the socket and the 'upp'erf and lower sections to which itisattached.

Other objects and advantages appear in the following specification,reference being-had to the accompanying drawing ini wh-ich Figure 1 is avertical section of the improved fishing tool, showing theparts inposit-ion to grip a pipe'string or other object loose in the well, c i,

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the grippingposition, I

1 Figure 3 is across section taken on the line Fishing. tools, as usedin: connection with well drilling, have become so tern ied' by virtue oftheir use in retrieving implements that have been dropped in the well. IFishing tools are. used forsgrabbing sucker; rods, drillingtool's'ofvario'i'is kinds, sections of piping and the like, and whilethe tool disclosed'here'in can be used for anyofltheforegoing purposesit 'isespecially adapted torflretrieving a lost provisions for mak 1928.Serial No. 296,188.

ing' a seal around the lost pipe string and permits the establishment ofa circulation of fluid through the pipe string.

I This is of especial advantage in cases'where the lost pipe string hasbecome stuck in the well either by virtue of a tight hole or bycavingsthat have accumulated around the pipe string and have wedged itin tightly. In either of such instances the fishing tool would be letdown until the packer attachnient encounters the nearest couplingwithwhich itmakes a seal; the invention will be explained as the descriptionprogresses, p 4 1 Reference is made to the drawing. Those parts whichagree with the foregoing Patent No. 1,493,350 are briefly described asfollows: A socket, generally designated 5,.comprises a head 6 which isscrewed at 8 into a body later described. The head is provided with anannular shoulder 10 against which the edge of the b'odybinds when theparts are screwed together tightly.

y The guide 7 has a semi-circular lip l6-the forward edgeof which isinclinedinwardly as at 1'7, the purpose of the structure being tofacilitate the introduction of the object to be gripped into the socketwhere it will be held by the slips. An annular extension 21 of the head6 defines achamber by which a coiled spring 20 is contained anda guardfor preventing injury to that spring.

The improvements comprlse the following: A body 9 is interposed betweenthe head 6 and guide 7, the latter being internally threaded at 11 toreceive a correspondingly threaded reduced end. of the body. The threads8 and 11 are known as square or Acme threads. These have been found tobe particularly well suited in a construction of this kind where athin-walled body is to be. screwed upon another part.- For instance, theuse ofsquare threads between the head 6 and body 9 provides maximumstrength. The wall of the body 9 must necessarily be The other featuresof made as thin as possible both to adequately 1 accommodate 'themechanism on the inside and yet be small enough to freely slide inthewell casin j. H r

' Oue'eiicl ofthe spring 20 bears upon the shoulder 12 of a packerattachment which comprises a relatively large sleeve 13, loosely fittingthe body 9, and a smaller sleeve 14 fitting in the annular extension 21.The sleeve 14 is offset from the sleeve 13, thus producing the shoulder12. The shoulder 12 can engage the edge of the extension 21 when thetool is superimposed upon a loose object in the well, thus limiting thecompression of the spring 20.

A groove 15 in the sleeve 13 immediately below the shoulder 12 receivesa rubber or other suitable packer washer 18 which is intended to bearagainst the coupling C of a pipe string P to be retrieved. It will be'bythe combined influences of the spring 20 and the weight of the socket- 5that the washer 18 will compose a tight joint around the couling C. Thiswill enable a draft, or as it has 11 stated before a circulation,through the pipe string should the latter perchance be stuck in thewell.

The acking function is divided between the was er 18 and a rubber orother packing collar 19. The washer 18 is designed to bear upon acoupling C while the collar 19 makes a joint around a section of pipinThe washer 18 would serve the packing unction in case there were nosection of piping around which the collar 19 might fit, or the collar 19would serve to make a joint in case there were no coupling C with whichthe washer 18 might engage. Both instances are provided for, the ideaofthe two dissimilarly diametered packers being to admit the fishingtool to a tubular device through which a circulation is to beestablished and which has a stepped outside diameter.

A groove 22 near the top of the sleeve 14, and a reduction of that partof the sleeve above the groove at 23 provides a receptacle for an end ofthe packer 19. The internal diameter 24 of the packer is less than theoutside of the pipe P, contraction of the rubber around the pipe whenthe latter is forced into the collar 19, tightening the collar upon thepipe. The collar is grooved to agree with the places 22 and 23, and theupper exposed edge has a V-g'roove 25 against the sides of which fluidpressure from above may be exerted to expand the rubber and complete theo1nt.

Both rubber inserts or packers 18 and 19 are readily slipped intoposition in the respective groove formations, and are as read ilyremoved upon occasion. The surrounding parts of the packer sleeve 13, 14protect the packer rubbers, and the mounting of these prevent them frombeing readily torn out in the use of the tool.

One or more keys 26 tend to keep the slips 27in line withthe packerattachment. The

slips are loose in the socket 5,and were it not for the keys 26 theslips would either drop out when the tool is not in use, orprobposition, but will also ably fall over out of position when the toolis in use. The keys fit between the slips as shown in Figures 1 and 3and extend into slots 28 cut in from the lower edge of the sleeve 13 ofthe packer attachment. Portions of the slips are bevelled to ride uponthe bevelled annulus 29 of the body 9.

\Vhen in a condition of non-use, the parts of the tool assume theposition in Figure 1. The expanded spring 20 presses the packersleeveagainst the slips 27 which thus tend to ride down the annulus 29but the extent to which they can ride is limited by the presence of thekeys 26 therebetween so that the binding action which presently resultswill not only keep the slips upright in a receptive prevent them fromdropping out of the tool. i

The presentation of the tool to an object to be retrieved will cause theslips to move up away from the annulus 29, and in a case such aspictured in Figure 2 the packer attachment will be moved quite out ofengagement with the slips. But the latter will be prevented fromtumbling over, partly because there is not much room within the socket 5to do so, but mainly because the edges of the slips havenot departed farenough from the keys 26 and the latter are still 1n position to preventit. The keys cannot drop out because they will rest upon the annulus 29and be confined by the coupling C or such other object as may have beencaught.

Fine, left hand threads or wickers 30 secure a hold upon the coupling C.In practice there will be four threads to the inch and they will have apitch of one inch to the revolution. This arrangement is designed notonly to secure the maximum grippin effort, but to provide for a quickrelease w en the tool is turned in the proper direction. With a pitchsuch as this it would not be possible for the. slips to lean oversufiiciently far out of position to prevent a turn of the tool fromreleasing it from the retrieved object.

While the construction and arrangement of the improved fishing tool isthat of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changesmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, or thescope of the claims.

I claim 1. A fishing tool comprising gripping means, a packerattachment, and a spring which presses the attachment against the slipsto hold them in place during non-use of the tool, and which assists inholding the attachment against an object to be retrieved after the slipshave gripped said object and the packer attachment has beenmoved fromthe slips by the introduction of said object into the tool.

2. A fishing tool comprising slips, 9. body in which they are confined,a packer attachment comprising a sleeve and a rubber, and

a spring pressing the sleeve against the slips so that they are heldupon a part of the body during the non-use of the tool, but whichassists in holding the rubber against an object when the latter entersthe tool and moves the sleeve away from the slips.

3. A fishing tool comprising a body having a bevelled annulus,slips,keys loose between the slips, a packer attachment comprising a rubberand a sleeve which carries the rubber and which is slotted for thevarious keys, and a spring bearing against a part of the body and uponthe attachment to press the sleeve against the slips, causing them toride into the. annulus and bind against the, keys dur-- ing the non-useof the tool.

4.1 A fishing tool comprising slips, a body containing them, a movablesleeve which has slots, and ke s loose in the slots and between theslips ten ing to maintain a predetermined I relationship of the slipswith the sleeve.

5. In a fishing tool having a head with an annular extension, a bodyattached to the head and having a bevelled annulus, slips bearing on theannulus, and a springaround said extension; a slotted packer attachmentriding upon the extension and being pressed by the spring against theslips, and keys loose between the slips and the slots in saidattachment, riding upon the annulus at timesA fi h 6. shin tool avin riin means packer mean% to make; %luid tig ht joint around the object tobe gripped, and means having loose connection with the packer means andthe gripping means keeping the latter in a predetermined relationshipwith the former.

7 A fishingtool comprising slips, a body containing them and having abevelled annulus, a movable sleeve adapted to bear upon the slips andhaving a slot, and a key loosely occupying the slot being situatedbetween the slips and riding upon the annulus.

8. A fishing tool comprising gripping means, and a packer attachmentcoacting therewith comprising a rubberv to'make a fluid-tight jointaround the object to be gripped, said rubber having a grooved portion,and a sleeve being correspondingly grooved to receive the groovedportion and retaining the rubber in position.

9. A fishing tool comprising gripping means, and a packer attachmentcoacting therewith comprising a sleeve, and a rubber carried by thesleeve having a groove with the sides exposed to fluid pressure toexpand the rubber against the object to be gripped.

10. A fishing tool comprising gripping means, and a packer attachmentcomprising connected cylindrical sleeves of which one coacts with saidgrippingmeans, and rubbers respectively carried at the point of connection of the sleeves and by the other sleeve- 12. A fishing toolcomprising gripping means, a body in which said means work and having anextension, a spring for pressing the gripping means in one direction,and means by which the tension of the spring is transmitted to thegripping means belng guided by the extension and having a shoulder toengage the extension and limit the compression of the spring.

GEORGE F. LE BUS.

